1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to Massively Multi-user Virtual Environment (“MMVE”) systems, and more specifically to systems that allow users of an MMVE system to interact with each other within the MMVE.
2. Related Art
With the growth of modern telecommunication systems, more and more people are communicating and interacting with other people via large communication networks such as, for example, the Internet. These interactions include emailing, texting, audio and video conferencing, blogging, posting information on websites, hosting websites, online gaming, interacting in virtual worlds, etc.
In the example of a virtual world, a virtual world is a virtual community (also referred to as an “online community”) that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which multiple users can interact with one another and use and create objects. Presently, these modern virtual worlds are interactive virtual environments, where users may enter into these virtual environments and take the form of an avatar or synthespian that is visible to other users in a given virtual environment. In general, an avatar is a graphical representation of a user on a computer network. The avatar allows a corresponding user to explore and interact with the simulated environment (i.e., scene) and with the avatars of other users.
A virtual world is the basis of a multi-user virtual environment (“MUVE”) that allows multiple users to interact with each other in the virtual world. A massively multi-user virtual environment (“MMVE”) is generally known as a MUVE that is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. In order implement a virtual world, a powerful server, or bank of servers, is utilized to generate and/or host the virtual world. Additionally, a program, or an interface, is needed that allows users to create some short of identity that they can use when they log into the virtual world via the server or servers.
Examples of MMVEs include massively multi-player online games (“MMOGs”) such as, for example, GemStone®, Air Warrior®, Neverwinter Nights®, The Realm Online, Meridian 59, Ultima Online®, Underlight, EverQuest®, Eve Online®, Final Fantasy®, World of Warcraft®, The Sims®, etc. Other examples of MMVEs may also include non-game virtual environments for education or business, such as Second Life®, and Red Light Center®, etc. As such, in general, a MMVE is a computer-based simulated virtual environment that provides real-time human interactions among a large numbers of concurrent users.
As an example, in FIG. 1, a system diagram of an example of an implementation of a known MMVE system 100 is shown. The known MMVE system 100 may include a server 102 (or bank of servers) in signal communication with a communication network such as, for example, the Internet 104 via signal path 106. The server 102 (or servers) generates and/or hosts the MMVE, which may be a MMOG.
A plurality of users 108, 110, and 112 may access the MMVE on the server 102 via the Internet 104. The plurality of users 108, 110, and 112 may access the Internet 104 via online devices 114, 116, and 118, which may be in signal communication with the Internet 104 via signal paths 120, 122, and 124, respectively. Each online device 114, 116, and 118 may be a personal computer (both portable and non-portable), a computer tablet (such as, for example, an iPad®, Andriod® based tablet, or Microsoft® based tablet), a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), or smartphone (such as, for example, an iPhone®, Andriod® based smartphone, or Microsoft® based smartphone), game console (such as, for example, PSP®, Playstation® 3, Xbox® 360, Nintendo DS, PS Vita, and Wii®) or any other equivalent device capable of accessing the Internet 104. It is appreciated by those skilled in the art that while only three users 108, 110, and 112 and online devices 114, 116, and 118 are shown in FIG. 1, the known MMVE system 100 may support thousands of users with corresponding thousands of online devices.
As MMVEs become more common place in society, a growing number of users will utilize MMVEs for activities such as, for example, gaming, business, education, entertainment, and social interaction. The resulting users that utilize these MMVEs may see an ever growing percentage of their working and/or personal time spent in virtual environments where they will interact with other users via these online systems without actually physical interacting with these other users.
Unfortunately, most people have strong psychological needs to interact with other people in both social and/or business settings. As such, for many users of MMVEs there is a need to bridge the virtual world to the actual physical world by facilitating users of an MMVE to actually physically interact.